US Department of Energy: federal agency mandated to advance the national, economic, and energy security of the United States; to promote scientific and technological innovation in support of that mission; and to ensure the environmental cleanup of the national nuclear weapons complex

US Department of Labor: federal agency mandated to foster, promote, and develop the welfare of the wage earners, job seekers, and retirees of the United States; improve working conditions; advance opportunities for profitable employment; and assure work-related benefits and rights

US Environmental Protection Agency: federal agency created to protect human health and to safeguard the natural environment — air, water and land — upon which life depends

Equipment

The federal definition of “equipment” means an article of nonexpendable, tangible personal property having a useful life of more than one year that has a cost (including tax, shipping, and installation) of more than $5000. Anything under this threshold is considered Supplies.

F&A

Facilities & Administrative costs (also called indirect costs or IDC): costs that are incurred by a grantee for common or joint usage and cannot be identified specifically with a particular project or program

Federal Demonstration Partnership: an association of federal agencies, academic research institutions with administrative, faculty and technical representation, and research policy organizations that work to streamline the administration of federally sponsored research

Federal Emergency Management Agency: US federal agency created to support our citizens and first responders to build, sustain, and improve US capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards

US Government Accountability Office: supports the Congress in meeting its constitutional responsibilities and helps improve the performance and accountability of the federal government for the benefit of the American people

Higher Education Act: legislation signed into United States law on November 8, 1965 intended to strengthen the educational resources of our colleges and universities and to provide financial assistance for students in postsecondary and higher education. The HEA has been reauthorized and amended several times, and before each reauthorization, Congress amends additional programs, changes the language and policies of existing programs, or makes other changes.

US Department of Housing and Urban Development: federal agency with a mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all

IACUC

Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee: campus committee that reviews protocols for animal subject research

ICR

Indirect Cost Recovery: the indirect costs an institution collects on grants and contracts

IDC

Indirect Costs (also called F&A costs): costs that are incurred by a grantee for common or joint usage and cannot be identified specifically with a particular project or program

IP

Intellectual Property: refers to creations of the mind (i.e., inventions, literary and artistic works, and symbols, names, images, and designs used in commerce) often protected by copyrights, patents, and trademarks

Minority Institution: institutions of higher education enrolling populations with significant percentages of minority students, or that serve certain populations of minority students under various programs created by Congress

Minority-Serving Institution: Colleges and reporting the enrollment of a single minority group, or combination of those minority groups, that exceeded 50 percent of its total enrollment. For the purposes of this list, “minority” is defined as American Indian, Alaska Native, Black (not of Hispanic origin) and Hispanic. As this is also referred to as a Minority Institution (MI), carefully read the eligibility requirements that define the term prior to pursuing any related grant opportunity.

MTDC

Modified Total Direct Costs: cost base for applying an F&A rate that generally includes all costs, exceptcapital equipment, leasing costs, tuition remission, participant support costs, and subrecipient costs above the first $25,000.

National Institutes of Health: federal funding agency whose mission is to seek fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce the burdens of illness and disability

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: federal agency with a mission to understand and predict changes in Earth’s environment and conserve and manage coastal and marine resources to meet our Nation’s economic, social, and environmental needs

National Security Agency: federal agency that delivers responsive, reliable, effective, and expert Signals Intelligence and Information Assurance products and services, and enables Network Warfare operations to gain a decisive information advantage for the Nation and our allies under all circumstances

National Science Foundation: federal agency created to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense; and is the only federal agency whose mission includes support for all fields of fundamental science and engineering, except for medical sciences

Office for Human Research Protections: federal office that provides leadership in the protection of the rights, welfare, and wellbeing of subjects involved in research conducted or supported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) by providing clarification and guidance, developing educational programs and materials, maintaining regulatory oversight, and providing advice on ethical and regulatory issues in biomedical and behavioral research

OIG (or IG)

Office of the Inspector General: offices within each agency responsible for ensuring the integrity of agency programs, to detect and deter waste, fraud, abuse, and misconduct, and to promote integrity, economy, efficiency, and effectiveness through a nationwide network of audits, investigations, inspections and other mission-related functions

Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare: federal agency that provides guidance and interpretation of the Public Health Service (PHS) Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, supports educational programs, and monitors compliance with the Policy by Assured institutions and PHS funding components to ensure the humane care and use of animals in PHS-supported research, testing, and training, thereby contributing to the quality of PHS-supported activities

Office of Management and Budget – A branch of the Executive Office of the President that assists the president in overseeing the preparation of the federal budget and supervising its administration in executive branch agencies. OMB oversees and coordinates the administration’s procurement, financial management, information, and regulatory policies, including grants policies and procedures and governmentwide electronic grants initiatives, including Grants.gov. OMB also maintains the Grants Mangement Circulars that specifically govern the budgeting and use of federal grant funds

Office of Naval Research: federal executive branch agency within the Department of Defense that supports the President’s budget by providing technical advice to the Chief of Naval Operations and the Secretary of the Navy and oversees a portfolio of investments ranging from immediate, quick-turnaround technologies to long term basic research

Office of Research Integrity: promotes integrity in biomedical and behavioral research supported by the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) and monitors institutional investigations of research misconduct and facilitates the responsible conduct of research (RCR) through educational, preventive, and regulatory activities

Occupational Safety and Health Administration: federal agency (part of the US Department of Labor) created to ensure safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women by setting and enforcing standards and by providing training, outreach, education and assistance

PA

Program Announcement: an announcement published by an NIH Institute or Center requesting applications in the stated scientific areas

PAR

Program Announcement Reviewed in an Institute: NIH program announcement with special receipt, referral and/or review considerations

PD

Program Director: An individual designated by the grantee to direct the project or activity being supported by the grant. He or she is responsible and accountable to the grantee and the sponsoring organization for the proper conduct of the project or activity

PHS

US Public Health Services: umbrella organization in the U.S. Federal Government consisting of eight DHHS health Agencies, the Office of Public Health and Science, and the Commissioned Corps (a uniformed service of more than 6,000 health professionals). The NIH is the largest Agency within the PHS.

PI

Principal Investigator: An individual designated by the grantee to direct the project or activity being supported by the grant. He or she is responsible and accountable to the grantee and the sponsoring organization for the proper conduct of the project or activity. Also known as Program Director or Project Director for non-research sponsored projects.

PL

Public Law

PMS

Payment Management System: Automated system for the delivery and tracking of funds; grant payments to non-Federal grantee institutions are made available through PMS.

PO

Program Official or Program Officer: the sponsor agency/organization official responsible for the programmatic, scientific, and/or technical aspects of a grant

PR/Award number

The identifying number used by US Department of Education for a discretionary grant or cooperative agreement application and award

Research Experiences for Undergraduates: NSF funding program that supports active research participation by undergraduate students in any of the areas of research funded by the National Science Foundation

RFA

Request for Applications: The official statement inviting grant or cooperative agreement applications to accomplish a specific program purpose. RFAs indicate the amount of funds set aside for the competition and generally identify a single application receipt date.

RFP

Request for Proposals: Announces that NIH would like to award a contract to meet a specific need, such as the development of an animal model. RFPs have a single application receipt date and are published in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts.

S&W

Salaries and Wages: cost base for applying an F&A rate that generally includes only the primary applicant’s salary and wages costs. ULV’s S&W rate also includes fringe benefits costs, as specified in our F&A rate agreement.

US Small Business Administration: federal agency that provides support to small businesses and small-business owners across the nation

SBIR

Small Business Innovation Research: funding programs designed to support small business concerns conducting innovative research/research & development with potential for commercialization. Most federal funding agencies support SBIR projects.

SF

Standard Form: government-wide forms commonly used for the request or reporting of federal funding (i.e., SF-424 is the Application for Federal Assistance used as a cover sheet for most federal funding applications)

SNAP

Streamlined Noncompeting Award Process: simplified process for the submission of information prior to the issuance of a non-competing award. Funds are automatically carried over and are available for expenditure during the entire project period. All NIH award notices identify whether the grant is subject to or excluded from SNAP.

SOW

Statement of Work: in a contract or subaward proposal, the detailed description of the work to be performed under the contract

Society of Research Administrators International: professional society dedicated to the education and professional development of research administrators working in varied organizational settings as well as the advancement of research administration as a profession around the world

Small Business Technology Transfer: funding programs designed to support cooperative research/research & development with potential for commercialization, through a formal cooperative effort between a small business and a U.S. research institution. Most federal funding agencies support STTR projects.

TDC

Total Direct Costs: cost base for applying an F&A rate that includes all direct grant costs

Time & Effort

Official reports on the time and/or effort someone expends working on a sponsored project; also called Effort Reporting.

Refers to a group of federal outreach and student services programs designed to identify and provide services for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, generally funded by US Department of Education

US Department of Agriculture: federal agency that provides leadership on food, agriculture, natural resources, rural development, nutrition, and related issues based on sound public policy, the best available science, and efficient management

US Department of Veterans Affairs: federal agency with a mission to provide veterans the world-class benefits and services they have earned – and to do so by adhering to the highest standards of compassion, commitment, excellence, professionalism, integrity, accountability, and stewardship